Not Rinzler
by LuffyMarra
Summary: Champion. Enforcer. Slave. Rinzler had played many roles for his master. What would Tron's role be?


**Not Rinzler**

Disclaimer: I don't own anything of Tron's.

A/N: Thanks to Ayala Atreides, sharinganavenger, and lightning bird for betaing this story for me.

'_Italics' _= Tron's thoughts

Rinzler was sinking..._No! Not Rinzler! _

Shaking his head, the enforcer found he couldn't resist as the flow of the digital sea pulled him further down. Yes, Rinzler was his designation, it was given to him by his Master…_No! Never his master! Not his designation!_

He was so confused. Where were these traitorous thoughts coming from? As he sank he could feel his systems trying to reboot themselves, could feel a long dormant older programming trying to override his current programming, and it hurt. It felt like he was being torn apart! He knew he needed help..._Shouldn't be helped. Didn't deserve help._

That without his disks he couldn't suppress this older programming like his Master had taught him…._Never again! Nearly free! _

It was so hard to function now, what was…happening…to…REBOOTING.

For the first time in cycles, Tron opened his eyes in full control of himself. For several nanoseconds, he was confused about where he was and what had happened. Then he accessed his memory banks and almost wished he hadn't. By the Users, what had he done? He had betrayed so many of his fellow programs, caused them fear and pain, when he should have been aiding and protecting them. The worst part of the memories was that he had felt NO remorse. He had thought that the programs he had hunted down deserved to be derezzed. What would his creator think if he could see his program now? His thought process slowed as that word triggered something deep in his memory. Creator...the Creator...Flynn!

If Tron could have he would have howled in denial and sorrow. He had betrayed his oldest and closest friend. Had helped Clu turn Flynn's beautiful Grid into a nightmare, like his old system had been during the MCP's reign. Had willingly hunted the User with plans to help Clu derezz him. Though he now understood why Clu had told Rinzler to never to directly confront the User, to call for his (and Tron loathed that he had ever thought this idea) 'Master' to deal with the rogue User. After all, it had only taken one look, hearing that well-known voice just once to begin rebooting his core programming. Tron was glad, he never would have forgiven himself if he had hurt Flynn or his son.

Flynn's son...Flynn...how could either of them ever forgive him? Did he even deserve their forgiveness? He guessed that it didn't really matter. His energy was almost gone (it was getting so hard to keep his eyes open) he knew that he was microcycles from de-resolution, but how he wished he could make it all up to them.

'_I'm sorry. I'm SO sorry._'

As he let his eyes finally slide closed, there was a bright flash of light from the surface, and he felt like something was pulling him upwards.

"Don't give up on me yet, buddy!"

'_Who...are...?_'

Then he fell into darkness.

Data Deletion at 15%

Where was he? Who was he?

Data Deletion at 30%

What was that noise?

Data Deletion at 50%

A voice? What was it saying?

Data Deletion at 70%

"Can't believe he...Must have been tearing...apart"

Did he know that voice?

Data Deletion at 90%

"Just a little...Everything's going to be...Don't give up..."

Yes, he knew that voice, could trust that voice, was safe with that voice.

Data Deletion at 100%

"TRON!"

Then the blackness closed in again.

Systems reboot at 15%

_What are these images?_

Systems reboot at 30%

_Dumont. Ram. Flynn. Yori._

Systems reboot at 50%

_Sark. The MCP. Alan-one._

Systems reboot at 70%

_Ophelia. Shaddox. Clu. _

Systems reboot at 90%

_The games. The programs. Derezzing the other programs. NO! No more! I can't do that again. Please, someone help me, I can't become that thing again!_

Systems reboot complete.

The first thing Tron became aware of was how dangerously low his energy reserves were. The second thing was that he was no longer floating in the Sea of Simulation, though he could hear it somewhere nearby. He felt fear surge through him as he realized that his power levels were too low for him to use his passive scans. He had no idea where exactly he was, or if he was near someone he could trust. Before he could completely panic his audio came back on-line.

"Easy there buddy, I have you." Tron felt himself being lifted into a sitting position, before being leaned up against something...no, someone. "Here, let's get this off of you." Tron felt relief overpower the fear as his helmet retracted back into his armor for the first time in cycles. Something though didn't feel right about this, like this had happened before.

"Here, drink this. You'll feel better with some energy in your system." Tron suddenly tensed as those words called a memory to the front of his mind.

_**Tron**__** had come on-line aching and confused. His scans were coming back with errors, and his system alerts kept flashing that he was low on power and badly damaged. Opening his eyes, he saw a featureless, white room, and then he noticed someone walking toward him. He thought he knew those clothes and the color of them, but something seemed wrong about the person's walk. Still it looked like...**_

_**"Flynn?"**_

_**"Easy buddy, you're going to be fine." Something was wrong with that voice, so close to the one Tron remembered, but there was something different about it, darker. "Here, drink this, you'll feel better in no time." Tron didn't resist as his head was lifted and energy was given to him. He found out a moment to late just how stupid that had been, when he jerked out of the other person's hold, a scream torn from his throat, as the contaminated energy burned its way through his system. Once the burning dulled in intensity, Tron realized that the other program was laughing in amusement. Anger began to course through him as he finally saw the truth; Flynn would never laugh at the suffering of any program.**_

_**"Clu!" Even as weak as Tron was, he knew Clu couldn't miss the loathing in his voice. **_

_**"Don't worry, Rinzler. We won't have to do this much longer."**_

_**"My name is Tron!" shouted Tron, and he was filled with dread as Clu leaned closer.**_

_**"We shall see, my old friend. We shall see," Clu said, with a cruel smile on his face.**_

After that Clu had used several different methods to slowly wear down Tron's resistance, until he was finally able to repropose the security program. Well, not again. Tron wouldn't allow it to happen again!

"No," Tron managed to rasp, as he turned his head away from the energy container the other program was holding. "Won't...be fooled again...I won't…help you...Clu...won't betray...Flynn again."

"Oh, Tron, what did that bastard do to you?"

What few processes he had going stopped at the sound of his name, and he didn't stop the other program from moving him to lean once more on the other's shoulder. Clu had never used Tron's true designation the whole time he had been his captive. As he tried to process this new turn of events, he felt the other program tip the container of energy into his mouth. Once he swallowed the first mouthful, Tron found he couldn't stop; his energy-deprived systems wouldn't let him. He waited for the sickening burn of contaminated energy to course through him, and instead was surprised when he felt the cool and revitalizing surge of pure energy. This feeling reminded him of the time he'd drunk from a hidden pool, his two new friends by his side.

Shifting thoughts of the past to the side, Tron used the new energy to bring his passive scans on-line. The Sea as always was unreadable to him, but it was his scans of the program helping him that caused him to the most confusion. The surface scans had come back normal, but the deeper he tried to scan the more errors he encountered. He'd only known this to happen with two beings; his creator Alan-one, and his friend.

"Flynn," Tron gasped, his eyes flying open and landing on the familiar and unfamiliar face of his oldest and truest friend. He watched as a relieved smile crossed the User's face, and began to catalog the differences. His friend still looked older, but the graying hair that Rinzler had seen was back to the dark brown that Tron remembered from the beginning. Underneath the long coat the brunette now wore, he saw armor like Clu's, only instead of the yellow color (which Tron now loathed with a passion) it was a soft emerald green.

"You had me worried there, buddy. Thought I was going to lose you a few times. Here, drink some more energy, it'll help get you back on your feet." Tron gladly took the container offered to him, and slowly sat up fully.

"Why didn't you go back to the User world?" questioned Tron, his curiosity getting the best of him.

"I knew, could somehow feel, that Clu would be at the portal waiting for us. So I gave Quorra my disk, and told her to get Sam and herself out of here. Finally I figured out the only way to stop Clu for good was to reintegrate him back into me. I guess that's why I have the altered look." Giving Tron his usual happy-go-lucky grin, Flynn stood up and looked toward Tron City. Watching the city lights for a moment, he turned back to Tron, a serious look on his face.

"They'll come back one day, might even have a way for me to leave when they do, but until then I'm going to work to fix the mistakes I've made. I want them to see this place like it should have been not how they left it." Breaking eye contact with the security program, Flynn began to watch the sea. "My biggest mistake was trying for a perfect system. That was wrong! I should have been trying for a safe and free system. I think I'll get to work on that, it's a goal I know I can make come true." As a lightcycle baton appeared in Flynn's hand, Tron realized that nothing had been said about his role in the Grid.

"And me?" asked Tron, even as he hung his head, thinking that Flynn didn't want his help after all the harm he had done as Rinzler.

Looking down at the slumped-over program, the other man's face soften in understanding and he knelt down and placed his hand on the security program's shoulder. Once he was sure that he had Tron's full attention, he went on.

"That's up to you. If you need a break, I'd understand. Clu put you through hell and made you do a lot of things that I know had to hurt you. I could try to contact Alan or Sam and have them move you to a different system if you don't want to be here anymore. You can go anywhere you want, you deserve that much, but…"

Tron could see the desperate plea in Flynn's eyes before he pulled away and stood once more facing the city.

"But?" asked Tron, as the fear of not being needed was overpowered by the hope that his friend might still want his help.

"But…I'd rather you stayed here. Ya know, keep me from making the same mistakes again. Help me see when I'm missing something important. Just, you know, still be my friend."

Tron found himself smiling and shaking his head. It amazed him that they had both been worried about the same thing. Clearing his throat to get Flynn's attention, the security program held out his hand. Knowing what his friend wanted, the User reached down and helped him to his feet. Once the program was steady, Flynn stepped back and waited for an answer.

"I guess if we're going to do this, the first place we need to get to is Clu's central command center." Tron felt a wide grin cross his face as he looked sideways and saw relief and happiness in his friend's expression.

"Well, actually," started Flynn as his bike materialized next to him, "we need to start in sector Delta 6."

"Delta 6? Why there? It's nothing but a bunch of math programs. Even Clu left that place alone," Tron asked, even as he caught the second baton that Flynn tossed to him and called on his own bike.

"Yeah, well we have to pick someone up. She's gong to be annoyed enough that it took me this long to bring you to see her without her being mad about us starting the clean up when she's not there."

"She?" That word brought up a bunch of images. Soft golden hair. A warm loving smile. Her frightened face as she confronted Rinzler.

"Flynn, she was…so frighten… when Rinzler…no when I…" Flynn was surprised at the sadness and loathing in Tron's voice, until he realized what the program was trying to say.

"It was her! Rinzler...I scanned her when we found her. It conformed that it was her, and then Clu...he ordered Rin...me to derezz her, and I did! I didn't even hesitate, I derezzed her. I killed Yori." The last came out in a tortured whisper, as Tron fisted his hands in his hair, and bowed down over his lightcycle. For a moment Flynn could only sit there, frozen by the despair that he could hear in his friend's voice. It was seeing his friend shake as if he was in pain that spurred him into action. Getting off his cycle, he walked over and placed his hands over Tron's.

"Tron, Tron man, you've got to look at me. You need to listen to me," pleaded Flynn. Never having heard his friend sound like that, Tron took his hands out of his hair, and slowly looked up at the User.

"I knew Clu might go after Yori next, and I didn't want to lose another friend. So I used an empty shell program, and taking a copy of her base programming, made it look like her. I had her hide in sector Delta 6; I've visited her a few times when I was sure that Clu wouldn't notice me. I promise you man, she's still alive." Seeing his friend's earnest face, Tron wanted to believe him, wanted to trust what the User was saying, but some part of him couldn't completely let go of his guilt. Flynn, seeing the battle in the security programs eyes, squeezed his hands and quickly walked back over to his cycle.

"Come on, we'll go to Delta 6 and I'll prove it to you. Then the three of us can start straightening the grid back out. What do you say, buddy?" Asked Flynn, and he was glad to see a small smile and a brightening of Tron's eyes, as the security program nodded his head.

"We shouldn't keep her waiting any longer," said Tron, as he slowly felt a deep longing and hope begin to overpower his guilt. It would take time to fully release his guilt, but Tron was certain that he had that time. Nodding his head, Flynn revved up his bike and without a glance back, the two friends shot off across the grid toward the horizon and toward a new future.


End file.
